The present invention relates generally to probe holders and more particularly to a probe holder for various thickness substrates.
Signal acquisition probes acquire electrical signals from a device under test and couple these signal to a measurement test instrument, such as an oscilloscope, logic analyzer, spectrum analyzer and the like. The signal acquisition probe has a probing tip or tips extending from a probe body that contact test points on the device under test. The signal acquisition probe may be a hand-held device that a user manipulates by hand to probe test points on the device under test. The user may also position the probing tip or tips to the probe test points using a probe holder that allows hands free probing of the device under test.
The are many types of hands-free probe holders available. One type has an articulated probe arm that is mounted to a movable base, a spring clamp, or vice that is clamped to the device under test. The articulated arm has a mounting element for securing the signal acquisition probe to the articulated arm. The articulated arm has sufficient stiffness that allows the arm to be moved and held at a desired position. Another type of hands-free probe holder is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,462,529. The probe holder is a pair of angled support members having a adapter for securing a signal acquisition probe. The combination of the support members and the signal acquisition probe forms a tripod that supports the probe on the device under test for hands-free probing.
U.S. Published Application No. 2004/0201388 describes a probe stand for an electronic probe. The probe stand has support that is mountable to a circuit board and a clamp to retain the probe to the stand. The stand may include a foot that includes a magnet for mounting the stand to a magnetic material. The foot may also include a pin that may be inserted into a hole in the circuit board to mount the stand in a region of the circuit board. The foot may also include an adhesive to help prevent the support from slipping on the circuit board. The stand may also include two or more legs to mount the stand on the circuit board without securing the stand to the circuit board. The foot may also have a vice that may be clamped around an edge of the circuit board or housing of the electronic device. The clamp may be a “U” shaped body having a threaded post for allowing a user to substitute a different clamp with the stand or substitute a different stand with the clamp. The clamp may also be formed of a mounting surface having a strap that retains the probe to stand. One end of the strap is secured to the mounting surface with the other end releasably attaches to a cleat.
The architecture of signal acquisition probe have changes to where the probing tips are no longer disposed in the probing head but are disposed in probing adapters that are removably coupled to the probing head by cables. Various adapters are made that allow users to secure the adapters to the device under test and move the probing head from adapter to adapter. This new architecture does not lend itself to tripod type probe holders where the probing tip or tips of the signal acquisition probe are the contact point for one of the legs. Further, probe holders using articulated arms can be expensive, especially where a user requires a number of articulated arms for securing multiple probes to a device under test.
What is needed is an probe holder that is compatible with the new probe architectures and is easily mountable on or near a device under test. The probe holder should allow flexibility with different type of devices under test. The probe holder should also be inexpensive to allow moving a probe or probes between multiple probe holders.